You know you are a caregiver if.....

or Jenny,
you have forgotten what life was like before this

or

you ask yourself can and will this go on forever

If you want to pack your bags and fly to Rio

A 7:00 bedtime seems very late

lol

When you spend the night away from home as respite, then the day you go back, you're torn about wanting to stay away and yet going back home to make sure everything is okay.

When you use the word 'Marine' and it is heard as 'Maria' and you have to hear, AGAIN, the story of her husband and 'Maria'..... deep sigh.

You speak about poop in everyday conversation, and feel that it's normal

When you are happy your husband is going to bed at 6 but realize you are too tired to stay up and enjoy the time alone

if you want to pack your bags and flying even to North Dakota or Emjo's Alberta would do.

If you are a distance caregiver and want to stay on Northern Alberta rather than moving south where it is warmer because it allows you more distance between you and your difficult care receiver (minus 40 with wind chill this morning!)

I know I am a caregiver....

when at a store I am restocking the shelves after my elderly parents had picked up dozens of items to get a closer look.... it wasn't the item they wanted... and they can't find where on the shelf they got it.

You know you are a caregiver when you look forward to the answers on this site every morning.

… you take the responsible decision not to drive 120 miles and back to your stepdaughter's 30th birthday party tomorrow because something's just not quite right, and your mother says "never mind we can do it another time can't we…"

you know you are a caregiver when you go through all the stages of grieving
and it's for the purse (spoiled food and all those napkins)they no longer need and you no longer provide...

You know you are a caregiver when you can't sleep at night due to rashes and other stress related physical ailments. Yes, I've been up since 3 am...again.

...... when the family is freaking out because she has lost her 'teeth', and you find them at the foot of her bed, under the sheets and blankets, wrapped in.... you guessed it..... tissue....

Ladee, tissue, naturally! LOL,

The son was complaining about how many napkins, paper towels and tissues he found while looking for the teeth... I just laughed, thought of all of you, and walked out of the room...

Love that LM!

when you need three different plans in place for care of loved one so you can do something for you. Something is bound to happen to make the original plan completely unworkable.

You know your a caregiver if ....
while making spreadsheets of dr.s appointments for caregiving, you realize you have taken her to the doctors more than eighty times to their (POA's) one and two times...need I say more?

You know you are a caregiver if you need a spreadsheet to log her doctors' appointments!

You know you're a caregiver when................... you say you've had a CRAZY day or a SH*TTY day......and you mean it 100% LITERALLY!

You may be a caregiver if.............
* you wake up in the night because you think you hear them call your name . . .
* you are accused of 'taking' everything they misplace . . .
* you are a scoundrel and their other 'negligent' children are God's gift to mothers . . .
* you are an expert at 'background checks' - meaning you can 'check' their med box while talking about the weather; 'check' the commode for 'color' while making their bed - so they don't know you checked, etc., etc., etc.
* you are accused of wasting perfectly good food if you toss out 'liquid' lettuce in ziplock bags, leftover Meals on Wheels food that is 'growing' penicillin, etc., etc.

Yum yum! Liquified lettuce, what could be nicer..?!

...... when you finally get a few minutes to yourself in the car.... great music on the radio, and your movin' like Jagger, singing like you honestly think you can.... and you are FREE..... Just for that few minutes.....

.......if you derive GREAT pleasure from eating alone, what YOU want to eat, while watching the show YOU want to watch, at a volume that doesn't blow out your ears! Yes, Mom went to the sisters house for dinner tonight. It was heaven!

You know you are alone in providing care and come to appreciate it. Too many cooks spoil the broth!

You get pissed at the Gameshow Network when they chance their line up!!!

Change

You used to look so good (as in sharp) before the stress of caregiving got to you. Now, you just have enough time to only put on lipstick, clips on your hair, and frumpy (barely ironed, blouse loose and not tucked in, etc..) clothes - while rushing out the door. Only to find when you arrive at your work's parking lot - 8 minutes late and still need to huff and puff up 3 flights of stairs- that your shoes don't match.